Glenn F NDE

Experience Description

During the time I was under for surgery I woke up. I felt myself floating in total darkness. I mean black nothingness. I had the sense of floating, movement in total blackness. However, I was not afraid. I felt very calm and content.

Out of the darkness behind me, I heard my father call to me. He passed away 10 years ago at the age of 76. I was looking toward where I heard his voice and then all of a sudden there was light everywhere. And there he was!! Smiling, and looking like I remember him when I was young. Now he was a man in his thirties and I was old. Seeing him in this light and talking to him was so comforting. I never in my life felt so content. I had a feeling of total peace like nothing I've ever experienced.

We were weightless. It was just him and myself in this magnificent light. I remember the air was so clean and I felt light as a feather.

My father and I talked, we laughed, and it felt so good to see him. He was young and healthy. I remember he had his legs again! He lost both legs to diabetes before passing. The whole experience was vivid. Then all of a sudden, he said 'Well son, I'll be seeing you.' He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. In a flash, everything went black and I felt myself moving backwards at high speed. I remember the sound of high wind carrying me in a vacuum to a sudden stop, and then nothing.

I do not know how much time passed. All I remember after that is waking up with the surgeon next to me on my way to the Intensive Care Unit. He said 'how do you feel?' He laughed and told me 'you're a lucky man. Use it well.' I then saw my wife coming up to me. I told her that I had talked to my father. She started to cry and honestly, I do not remember anything else until the next day.

I felt heavy in my body afterward. The experience was seared into my mind. I felt so good whenever I thought about it I cried with joy. Even now, I can remember the feeling. There are really no words to describe it adequately. This experience has touched my core. I am forever changed by it.

I came to find out confidentially some 10 days later that I had in fact died on the table. Apparently, my blood pressure dropped dangerously low and I was lost for just over a minute. The surgeons resuscitated me.

I have not been able to remember everything my father said to me and it drives me crazy sometimes. But, I can remember the feeling like I was there. As incredible as this all might sound, it was real. I swear on all that is good in me. It was real. There is an afterlife. I'm sure of it.

I'm no religious fanatic and I don't subscribe too much of the churches dogma. I'm far more spiritual now than I ever was. I have no fear of death. None!!

I find myself a much calmer person.

I don't relate this story to everyone. Many think it was just the drugs during surgery that brought this vision on. I know better. In the 10 years since my father passed, he has never been in a single dream I've had, and dreams are dreams. I've never had a dream even close to the vivid nature of what this was.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 11/8/11

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness. Surgery-related told under confidence that i was resuscitated after a minute of being clinically dead. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) told under confidence that i was resuscitated after a minute of being clinically dead. I was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. After a battery of tests, they found that my gall bladder was the problem. To make matters much worse they discovered that I had torn open a hole in the common bile duct as I passed a stone. I had developed an infection from the bile leaking into my body core. I was told this is very rare. I never had symptoms of a gall bladder problem. One of the side effects of this is that it makes a person's blood pressure vary from high to low, sometimes within minutes. They opted to treat me with a combination of antibiotics for 48 hours and to try to get my blood pressure to stabilize a bit before a necessary operation. However due to the leakage and the possibility of organ damage they decided to take me to trauma surgeons. (I was told later that my operation was very similar to a stomach gunshot wound in general nature. The sepsis and internal bleeding was the most serious problem). A normal gall bladder surgery is done within 60 minutes with no more than eight stitches total as an outpatient. My surgery lasted almost 4 hrs. and I had 37 stitches (outside) with three separate incisions. This was necessary for them to 'clean up the area and prevent permanent damage to other organs.' A trauma surgeon who saw me earlier decided after seeing test results that he had to do the surgery immediately despite the fact that my blood pressure was still dipping low from time to time. This, I found out later, is a major concern for someone going into a long surgery.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal Much higher sense of feel and smell. There was a weightless sensation that I cannot find the words to express.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Upon the sight of my father in the light.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning This is one of the things that just escapes me. I felt I was there for a long time but I clearly wasn't.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Actually I'm far sighted. Everything in this experience was pristine clear.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Super sensitive hearing.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain I was in darkness until I turned to see my father. Then there was light everywhere.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes My father who passed away 10 years previously. The whole experience was between him and myself.

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Incredibly clear. There was pure bright light all around us. No shadows. It was like being in water. It was everywhere.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm We were floating in this intense light. I felt weightless.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Extreme peace and an incredible sense of joy.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others Things that used to upset me just don't have that power over me any more. I see truth as it is, not as I wish it to be.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Moderately important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I use this experience as proof of a higher power to myself. It helps me give strength and hope to some who need it.

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated i'm not totally acepting of the 'Dogma' and "Charter'. of organized religion. i tend to believe that a real 'Higher power' is indeed much larger and complex than any "Brick and Mortor' religion or doctrine.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience i felt there was a chance of a afterlife but honestly i wasn't sure. after this i'm sure. our 'death' is not the end.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Death is not the end. Live for a higher principle. I believe there's a chance we live more than one life.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? I was uncertain if God exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? I am uncertain if God exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Uncertain like i said previously , i don't remember everything my father and i talked about.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I moderately feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are probably meaningful and significant

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Uncertain there's blank spots in remembering the conversation.

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Unknown Hard to explain. Things that were troublesome to me are not anymore. I definitely have more compassion for others. Large changes in my life? Life, no. My thinking? Yes.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Because I can't find the words to convey the actual feeling as vivid as it was. It is very frustrating.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events at time accurately is the wrong term here for me. i remember the doctors and nurses conversations with me. but the experience is far more vivid. while i don't remember the whole conversation i remember the sensations and feelings.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Just the pure realization that our death is not the end has made me fearless. Seeing my father was a blessing to my soul. I still think there's more going on than the Jesus/Mohammad/God of manmade religion. I don't want to offend anyone but I believe there's a whole lot more to it than the God is of scripture. There's a force at work.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I am a sober recovering alcoholic very close to 16 years now. Very active in Alcoholics Anonymous. This is a program of finding a 'higher power' for strength. Spiritual not religious. Many of my friends there love hearing my story. It has the gift of hope and purpose. It has brought some of them to tears. I feel electric just telling it because the whole thing comes back vividly every time. Other people might think me a freak. Some of my own family believe I was delusional from the pain and drugs the doctors were giving me. I don't relate this experience to everyone.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real This is like a tattoo on my soul. For the first 2 weeks following the experience, I would cry from joy at the recollection of it. I still feel electric when I speak of it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Vivid, uplifting, real as real can be times 10.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? Before the experience I felt there was a chance of an afterlife but honestly I wasn't sure. After this, I'm sure. Our 'death' is not the end.